Practical Game-Preserving. 162 



in a state of nature. The state of semi-domestication 

 evidently influences the partridges in a favourable 

 direction in this respect. Thus, a number of eggs, of quite 

 considerable importance, may be picked up in the main and 

 side pens, whilst as soon as the birds commence laying to 

 a separate nest, after a certain number of eggs has been 

 produced, from six to ten may be withdrawn from each 

 nest without any effect upon the laying bird or any 

 diminution of her eventual brood, exactly almost as is the 

 case with pheasants, only to less extent. In this way the 

 clutches may be regulated so as to ensure more regularly 

 numbered broods of greater average size than is usually 

 the case with wild birds. The result in this respect from 

 this system is a net gain of from thirty per cent, to fifty 

 per cent, in eggs over what would be obtained from wild 

 birds; whilst the losses which would subsequently occur 

 under ordinary systems of hand-rearing are greatly reduced. 



Directly the confined partridges seriously begin their 

 nesting, the majority of the birds find their way to the 

 side pens for the purpose of brooding. As soon as this 

 occurs, the individual pairs are shut off in the small pens 

 which they take to themselves, and here they remain until 

 the eggs are hatched out, being duly fed and watered 

 during the time. Not all the pairs will choose or find 

 accommodation in the small pens; some will brood in the 

 larger enclosure. It will, however, be found as a rule that 

 the small ones generally command occupation in the first 

 instance, and that the large enclosure offers ample accom- 

 modation for the remainder if only the minimum amount 

 of space mentioned as necessary for each pair of birds be 

 provided. 



As soon as the broods commence to hatch out, one of two 

 courses is pursued either the birds are left for from 

 twenty-four to fifty-six hours in the pens as they stand, and 



